"Yellow Flash?!"
Seeing the figure that suddenly appeared behind him, Gari's pupils shrank, and he couldn't help but shout.
That's right, the person who came was none other than Minato Namikaze.
And along with him came a Nara clan Jonin and a Yamanaka clan Jonin.
In other words, at this moment, there were a total of seven Jonin on Konoha's side, and the Iwa ninja command center was not far away.
Although there were also Jonin among the Iwa guards, and the Iwa ninja in command were also Jonin, in terms of overall strength, they were still no match for Konoha's side.
After all, Minato Namikaze's strength was evident. Without the strength of an elite Jonin, it was impossible to pose a threat to him.
With a sweep of his gaze, Minato took in everything around him. The heavily guarded room not far ahead immediately caught his attention.
Having a guess in his mind, he immediately looked at Seimei. However, before Seimei could answer, Hyuga Hikari spoke first, "The target is inside there!"
As she spoke, she pointed to that room.
It didn't matter if the enemy heard it now. In the current situation, if the enemy still couldn't guess their plan, they would be too stupid.
Receiving confirmation, Minato didn't waste any time and immediately flashed towards the Iwa Chunin and Genin.
Intimidated by the "Yellow Flash," everyone unconsciously took half a step back.
Just then, a shout came from behind, "What are you afraid of? Follow me!"
As he spoke, an Iwa Jonin rushed out of the room, passed through the crowd of Iwa ninjas, and charged straight at Minato.
"Lord Kuroki!"
Several Iwa Jonin in the crowd shouted and then rushed forward as well.
Kuroki Kazuto was the commander-in-chief of this Iwa attack on Konoha's Fuuryu Town base. His strength was between that of an ordinary Jonin and an elite Jonin.
If it were just him alone, he would naturally not be Minato's opponent.
However, his appearance gave other Iwa ninjas courage, causing many Iwa Jonin to charge towards Minato with him.
This caused some trouble for Minato.
In addition, as these Iwa Jonin moved, other Iwa ninjas also started to attack, besieging the other Konoha ninjas on the field.
For a moment, the corridor became extremely crowded.
In this situation, no one dared to use large-scale ninjutsu, fearing they might accidentally injure their own comrades.
And this was advantageous for Gari!
Originally, this narrow space was more conducive to his Explosion Release, and now Seimei couldn't use ninjutsu, so he became even more fearless.
That's right, his target was still Seimei.
Although Minato's appearance surprised him, he didn't forget about Seimei, who was close at hand.
So, as soon as the battle started, he immediately threw a right hook, aiming at Seimei's chin.
A gust of wind rushed towards him. Seimei tightened his core, his upper body leaning back directly, narrowly avoiding the attack.
But just then, a burst of explosions rang out.
Seimei saw the air in front of him being blasted by Gari's punch, and then a shockwave hit him, pushing him straight back.
*Thud thud thud~*
Seimei retreated several steps, feeling a tightness in his chest.
Obviously, the close-range shockwave had injured his internal organs.
However, this injury was nothing serious for him, who had thirteen points in physique. He just needed to recover for a bit.
Seimei stopped and was about to catch his breath, but Gari didn't give him the chance, charging forward and throwing another punch.
Feeling the massive Explosion Release chakra condensed on his fist, Seimei didn't dare to take it head-on. He tapped his toes on the ground, slid back a step, created distance, and dodged the attack.
Originally, he thought Gari would repeat his trick, blasting the air to affect his balance.
Unexpectedly, Gari didn't do that. He simply dispelled the chakra on his fist, making the punch ordinary.
Then, he charged forward quickly, got close to Seimei again, and threw another punch.
Seeing this, a look of disappointment flashed in Seimei's eyes.
If Gari had really blasted the air just now, he could have taken the opportunity to retreat further, completely widening the distance between them, and thus regaining the initiative he had lost when throwing the kunai.
Unfortunately, Gari had incredibly rich combat experience and immediately saw the pros and cons, choosing to 'show mercy.'
In this way, he could only continue to bear the consequences of his previous choice, continue to be passively beaten, and then try his best to dodge.
However, Seimei wasn't in a hurry.
As the saying goes, the first strike is fierce, the second less so, and the third exhausted.
Seimei didn't believe that Gari could maintain such a high-intensity attack. Once his offensive slowed down, his opportunity would come.
*Boom boom boom~*
Continuous explosions rang out.
Seimei dodged continuously, and Gari's punches landed on the wall, Explosion Release chakra gushing out, blasting large holes in the wall.
Just then, Seimei suddenly saw a hint of pain on Gari's face, and his subsequent movements became slightly sluggish.
However, such a subtle flaw was clearly visible in Seimei's Sharingan.
Instantly, Seimei realized this was an opportunity.
Without any hesitation, he slightly shifted his body, avoiding vital points, and then thrust his sword out, the tip aiming straight at Gari's heart.
Having fought Gari twice before, Seimei knew that when fighting him, he couldn't attack non-vital areas, as that would only allow Gari to trade injuries for injuries.
After all, flesh and blood couldn't withstand a single blast from Explosion Release.
Therefore, every attack of his had to hit Gari's vital points.
Only in this way could he force Gari to defend himself and give up attacking.
Sure enough, seeing the sword thrust towards his heart, Gari hesitated for a moment and then dodged, giving up his attack.
If he hadn't dodged this attack, Seimei might have been severely injured by him, but he himself would definitely die. He didn't want to die, so he could only choose to dodge.
And this dodge basically declared the failure of his previous series of suppression and attacks.
At this point, the offensive and defensive momentum had shifted!
Seimei didn't hold back at all. After one sword was dodged, he immediately swung a second sword, followed by a third, a fourth...
His sword was like a violent storm, its momentum forming a continuous flow, its power converging on a single point. Every move targeted Gari's vital points, leaving him unable to resist.
For a time, Gari could only passively defend.
He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but he felt that compared to their last encounter, Seimei's swordsmanship seemed to have improved again, which put even more pressure on him.
...
Time passed by.
At a certain moment.
*Slash~*
The sharp blade cut through flesh, leaving a bloody mark on Gari's body.
Feeling the burning pain on his arm, Gari's expression was quite unsightly. He thought to himself, "I can't continue like this. I have to find a way to interrupt his attack rhythm..."
Gari's eyes scanned the walls on both sides of the corridor. He leaped back forcefully, avoiding Seimei's subsequent tricky sword strike.
Then, he quickly gathered chakra and punched the wall beside him.
*Boom~*
A muffled explosion sounded.
He blasted a large hole in the wall, and mud and gravel splattered, blocking Seimei's pursuit.
*Cough cough~*
Seimei coughed twice and quickly scanned his surroundings. After confirming that his teammates were not nearby, he immediately formed hand seals and instantly used the ninjutsu - Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
In the smoke, Gari was about to counterattack when he suddenly felt intense heat from the front.
The next moment, a fireball that occupied the entire corridor flew straight towards him.
Gari cursed inwardly, "Damn it!" He kicked off the ground and quickly retreated.
At the same time, his hands also rapidly formed seals. Finally, before the fireball reached him, he used the ninjutsu - Earth Release: Earth Shore Return.
He slapped his right hand on the ground and then pulled it up. A thick stone slab appeared in front of him, sealing the entire corridor.
*Boom~*
A muffled explosion came from behind the stone slab.
Immediately afterward, there was a strong vibration from the corridor floor, and dust fell from the ceiling, making one wonder if the place would collapse.
Such a big commotion naturally attracted the attention of others. The battles on the field seemed to pause for a moment.
*Crack~*
The sound of something cracking rang out.
Gari was attracted by the sound and looked towards it. He saw a crack inexplicably appearing in the center of the stone slab blocking the corridor.
*Crack~ Crack~*
The crack quickly spread and expanded, soon covering the entire stone slab.
'It can't hold on anymore...'
This thought popped into Gari's mind.
Immediately, he stopped wasting chakra to maintain the jutsu, kicked off the ground, and instantly jumped up, his entire body flying backward.
*Crack~*
The familiar sound rang out again.
The next moment, the stone slab completely disintegrated, turning into countless fragments.
Immediately afterward, a surge of flames rushed from the other side of the stone slab, carrying a wave of high temperature, heading straight towards Gari.
Unfortunately, Gari was already far away, and the flames ultimately failed to cause him any harm.
But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, a wind blade suddenly shot out at high speed, passing through the flames and cutting straight towards his body along the corridor.
However, seeing this wind blade, Gari didn't show any panic. Instead, a smile of "just as I expected" appeared on his face.
Obviously, he had already guessed that Seimei would take this opportunity to use the "Wind Release: Wind Blade."
How could he not be prepared for a move that had injured him so badly?
Putting himself in Seimei's shoes, in that situation just now, the corridor was filled with high-temperature flames, and it was impossible for anyone to pass through.
Therefore, using this wind-style ninjutsu for a sneak attack was the best option, and it was also the best timing.
Sure enough, Seimei's choice was the same as he had anticipated.
But since he was mentally prepared, it wasn't difficult to dodge again.
Accurately judging the attack angle of the wind blade, Gari twisted his body and easily avoided it.
However, at this moment, a figure wrapped in a faint cyan light passed through the flames and appeared in his vision.
Immediately afterward, a pair of blood-red eyes filled his entire vision, pulling his consciousness into an endless abyss.
"How... is... this... possible?"
At the moment his consciousness sank, Gari uttered these four words with disbelief all over his face.
"Nothing is impossible."
Seimei's indifferent voice came from the front.
The next moment, a short sword thrust out, accurately piercing Gari's heart. He never woke up from the illusion until the last moment of his life.
(End of Chapter)